1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent No. 3491751 discloses a connector including a housing in which a terminal accommodation chamber is formed and a front member attached to the housing. In a state in which the front member is attached to the housing, a terminal holding chamber in the recess form in a rear face of the front member is located so as to correspond to an opening at a front end of the terminal accommodation chamber, and a terminal fitting is inserted into a cavity constituted by the terminal accommodation chamber and the terminal holding chamber from behind. In the process of inserting the terminal fitting, a lance formed along an inner wall of the terminal accommodation chamber interferes with the terminal fitting and thus temporarily bends elastically, and when the terminal fitting is properly inserted, the lance that has elastically returned is brought into engagement with the terminal fitting so as to prevent disconnection.
In the above-described connector, as a means for preventing a front end portion of the terminal fitting from interfering with an edge of an opening at a rear end of the terminal holding chamber during insertion of the terminal fitting, a guide slope that is inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting is formed in an inner wall face, of inner wall faces of the terminal holding chamber, that is located on the opposite side from the lance with the terminal fitting sandwiched therebetween.
However, this guide slope merely guides the front end portion of the terminal fitting to the back (front) of the terminal holding chamber, and does not have a function of supporting the front end portion of the terminal fitting that is properly inserted in the terminal holding chamber. This means that as a result of forming the guide slope, the area of a portion of the inner wall faces of the terminal holding chamber that supports the front end portion of the terminal fitting is reduced, and thus there is the problem of a decrease in the reliability of the function of supporting the front end portion of the terminal fitting.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of circumstances as described above, and it is an object thereof to enable the front end portion of the terminal fitting to be inserted into the terminal holding chamber of the front member without hindrance and the inserted front end portion of the terminal fitting to be reliably supported.